O Emmanuel (Dynamic Catholic)

It's Advent again. My favorite time of the year. We all have different ways of preparing ourselves for Christmas. There are Advent calendars and Advent wreaths. We hang up lights and decorate Christmas trees. Sadly, a lot of this is done November 1st, the day after Halloween. We rush through the seasons and don't appreciate the beauty of the preparation. I normally am opposed to playing Christmas music too early, but I was recently sent a copy of the album O Emmanuel.

O Emmanuel is a Christmas album with composer J.J. Wright, the Notre Dame Children's Choir, and Fifth House Ensemble. The first track is called Gabriel's message. The next seven tracks follow the O Antiphons of Advent that span from December 17th through 23rd. These are Sapienta, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, and Emmanuel. The final two tracks are When the Sun Rises in the Morning Sky, and a favorite of mine, Christ the Lord is Born Today.

The music has a unique style to it as it combines adult and children's voices, jazz piano, and other instrumentalists as well. At about an hour long, the album is unfortunately longer than my commute to and from work, but I can generally complete the album over the course of two days. That point aside, I thoroughly enjoy this album and I play it as often as possible when I am in the car. If you would like to hear some samples or obtain a copy for you, your family or friends, follow the link.

This CD was provided to me for free by Dynamic Catholic in exchange for an honest review.